Surgical treatment for chronic dissecting aneurysm (DeBakey type I)--a case using "elephant trunk" and "aortic tailoring"

We present a surgical case of a 54-year-old man with chronic dissecting aortic aneurysm (Type I). At the first operation, ascending aorta and aortic arch were replaced with a tube graft under cardiopulmonary bypass and selective cerebral perfusion. Elephant trunk method was employed for the second operation. At the second operation, graft replacement of the proximal two-thirds of the descending aorta was performed, and the lower third of the descending aorta was tailored. Aortic tailoring consisted of the longitudinal aortomy and the removal of the initimal flap from the distal part of the descending aorta from the level of the 9th intercostal artery down to the diaphragm. The aorta was closed creating single channel 21 mm in diameter and containing the origins of the important intercostal arteries. He discharged the hospital without any complication including paraplegia or visceral ischemia, and his follow-up CT scan (1 year-later) did not show any dilatation of the tailored segment of the descending aorta and abdominal aorta.